You have probably heard of the "75 Hard". Now in case you haven't, here's how it works...

For 75 consecutive days, 75 Hard participants must do the following every day, according to the program’s welcome email:

• Follow a diet. While it can be a diet of your choosing, the diet must be a structured eating plan with the goal of physical improvement.
   
• No alcohol or meals outside your chosen diet are allowed.
   
• Complete two 45-minute workouts, one of which must be outdoors.
   
• Take a progress picture.
   
• Drink 1 gallon of water.
   
• Read 10 pages of a book (audiobooks not included).

By the end of the 75 days, you’ve read at least 750 pages, find yourself in a dietary routine, remain well-hydrated and be able to see any physical results through a catalog of daily progress photos.

Here's the crazy part - no alterations to the program are allowed. AND - if you miss any of your daily goals, you have to start all over again.

Here's the thing about these types of "all in" programs...

I'll share some insight from an article on Forbes:

“It’s very restrictive in terms of diet and doesn’t allow for any ‘cheat meals.’ This [rigidity] can make it difficult to stick to [in the] long term and may even lead to an unhealthy relationship with food,” says Noah Quezada, a registered dietitian nutritionist.

And...

"Because it’s an all-or-nothing program, 75 Hard doesn’t allow for uncertainty. “It doesn’t teach you any skills to help deal with slip-ups or teach you sustainable behaviors,” says Saara Haapanen, Ph.D. “It doesn’t allow for giving yourself any grace.”

Now does that mean I'm "against" the 75 Hard? No, of course not. 

Would I ever do it? 

I won't say never, but it's very unlikely. 

Why?

I've got kids and a wife to invest in. I work a lot. I help make meals for our boys while they are homeschooled. I run a business including coaching clients. 

Recently, I found myself in a rut thanks to a lingering knee injury keeping me off the basketball court for nearly 9 months now. I have a doctor that's helping me and without medication. I'm making progress, but I'm not on the court yet. 

So, I decided to do my own "75 Doable" (clever name, right?) about a week ago to help me get refocused so I can do what I can without being on the court. (I was told I can walk all I want to - I just can't run due to the impact). 

Here is my own "75 Doable":

• 7500 steps + a strength workout OR 10,000 steps
   
• 75oz of water MINIMUM
   
• 75g of protein MINIMUM OR 1-2 servings of BCAAS on fasting days + 50g of protein

And I don't expect myself to hit this daily. I'm aiming for 6 days a week.

A little more doable, right? 

I'm using an app to track my progress. It's pretty fun seeing me nail it (and quite motivating, too). How long I plan on doing this - minimum of 21 days. Who knows, maybe 75 days :)

I'm a week into it and I'm 6 for 6 (I take Sundays off, but I still get in around 5-6K steps thanks to early morning grocery shopping and church.)

This got me thinking while on a walk (seeing I was about 1500 steps short so I walked around my neighborhood a couple of times lol)...

If I were to run a budget-friendly "75 Doable" challenge in September (after Labor Day), would you be interested? 

If so, reply to this by simply saying, "interested". 

If there's enough interest, I might set one up. 

Talk soon,

Coach Mike